In part one of a two-part series, "Insuring Private Pensions," Fox Business reporter Adam Shapiro and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Director Josh Gotbaum, discuss the need for Congress to raise premiums to ensure 42 million Americans receive the pensions they were promised.

By now, you may have read news headlines addressing a study on PBGC premium increases released by the Pension Coalition. In an official PBGC statement, Gotbaum responded saying, "Unlike the FDIC and other Federal insurance programs, Congress has continued to set PBGC premiums and has done so in ways that both underfunds PBGC and is convincing some companies they shouldn't offer pensions at all."

In his interview, Gotbaum explains the specific PBGC-related issues that affect the retirement crisis.

In the recently published article "Thought Secure, Pooled Pensions Teeter and Fall," New York Times reporter Mary Williams Walsh gets candid commentary from PBGC Director Josh Gotbaum on the crisis facing the multiemployer pension system.

Gotbaum was quoted saying, "If Congress allows the PBGC to get the money and the authority it needs to do its job, then these plans can be preserved," he added. "If not, the PBGC will run out of money, too, and multiemployer pensioners will get virtually nothing. This is not something that can wait a few years. If people kick the can down the road, they'll find it went off a cliff."

While we'd hope that you're using every day of every week to plan for your retirement, this week, April 7–11, 2014, has been designated as National Retirement Planning Week.

Organized by the National Retirement Planning Coalition — a group of prominent consumer advocacy and financial services organizations that are leading the charge to help Americans plan for retirement — this week represents a national effort to help consumers focus on their financial needs in retirement.

PBGC plays a role in this effort by protecting the retirement incomes of more than 40 million American workers in more than 26,000 private-sector defined benefit pension plans.

Every March we celebrate the profound impact women continue to have on American and world history. While Women's History Month is usually the designated time of year to robustly commemorate the contributions women have made to society, we also think it's a good time to take a look at the state of women's retirement security. After all, life after retirement is very important to "women's history."

First, let's be clear, the retirement picture is dismal for both men and women. But compared to men, women's retirement security is often less than adequate.

The United States Department of Labor reports married women tend to outlive their spouses by two years once they reach age 65 — that's two whole years of additional savings needed to cover the cost of living expenses that some do not factor in. Women also tend to take a more conservative approach when it comes to saving for retirement. Simply put, women do not invest in high-risk stocks because of the volatility of the stock market.

Another factor contributing to the bleak retirement outlook is women often delay saving for retirement. The Department of Labor also reports only 45 percent of the 62 million salaried women working in the United States contribute to a retirement plan.

President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday Jan. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

In his fifth State of the Union address, President Barack Obama urged Congress to help restore opportunity for Americans, but pledged to take action himself.

In an effort to bolster retirement security, he announced that he will use his executive authority to direct the Department of the Treasury to create "myRA," a starter savings account to help people prepare for retirement.

In case you missed it, here's an excerpt from his speech:

"Let's do more to help Americans save for retirement. Today, most workers don't have a pension. A Social Security check often isn't enough on its own. And while the stock market has doubled over the last five years, that doesn't help folks who don't have 401ks. That's why, tomorrow, I will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working Americans to start their own retirement savings: MyRA. It's a new savings bond that encourages folks to build a nest egg. MyRA guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in..."